The present invention relates to a gas muffler for the cleaning of exhaust gases, and more particularly to a gas muffler adapted to be used for the cleaning of the exhaust gases of a diesel engine.
It is widely acknowledged worldwide that the exhaust fumes from internal combustion engines, and specifically those used in powering motor vehicles, are a primary cause of air pollution, with gasoline consuming Otto cycle engines and diesel oil consuming Diesel cycle engines being by far the dominant contributors.
Diesel oil consuming engines have a marked advantage over their gasoline consuming counterparts in terms of producing less noxious compounds, such as carbon monoxide, due to their higher ignition points and more efficient combustion. However, the large amounts of carbon precipitates present in their exhausts is a troublesome by-product of their usage, as is readily apparent to anyone who has seen the dark exhaust plumes emitted from a truck or bus on the road.
Devices for cleaning the exhaust gases emitted by internal combustion engines are well known from the prior art, with a multitude of apparati using various techniques having been proposed over the last several decades.
In particular, the gas muffler of the present invention can be categorized with those devices which pass exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine through a rotating drum or cylinder shaped filter member and which applies a liquid cleaning agent to extract the pollutants therefrom.
Related devices include U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,637,516 (1926) to Brilliant, 3,214,902 (1965) to Maring, and 3,712,031 (1973) to Santa Cruz.
In the muffler disclosed by Brilliant a cylindrical filter member is rotated by an internal propellor powered by the flow of exhaust gases therethrough, with the filter member being continuously supplied with cleaning water from a reservoir through a float operated valve.
In the exhaust treating device of Maring, exhaust gases are mixed with atmospheric air and post-combusted within a chamber, and subsequently washed with a cleaning fluid. This being a device primarily suited for gasoline consuming engines which produce large quantities partially oxidized compounds, such as carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide.
The more recent anti-smog and exhaust device disclosed by Santa Cruz passes exhaust gases longitudinally through a rotating cylindrical filter member, supplied with cleaning fluid from a separate reservoir through an external pump, with a final cleaning imparted to the exhaust gases by a spraying rinse before expulsion therefrom.
The gas muffler of the present invention differs from those of the prior art in providing two independent but singly housed rotating filter members which clean the exhaust gases passing therethrough twice, with a second filter member therein serving also to extract and return cleaning fluid vaporized by the hot exhaust gases passing through a first filter member thereof.
No separate reservoir or pump for the cleaning fluid contained therein is required and all components are contained by a single housing, with the exception of an external drive source which can be derived directly from the engine.
As such, the gas muffler of the present invention provides a thorough and efficient cleaning action to the exhaust gases of a diesel engine, and has a relatively simple and compact structure.